Drink Trends We Love from the Manhattan Cocktail Classic

When it comes to the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, the general rule is to hashtag with care; there's a lot of booze flowing. A little sip here and a little sip there gets to you pretty quickly. Despite the haze that can hover over the weekend, here are some new drink ideas and trends we saw, loved, and absolutely had to share.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Jelly Shot Cocktails

The alchemists (ahem, evil geniuses) behind Ludlows Cocktail Co. created artisanal jelly shots that are nothing like those failures you made in college that always stuck to their little paper cup wrappers. Think of these jelly shots as a grown-up ode to your college days. Instead of straight vodka, these shots are actually complete cocktails and available pre-made in stores. The flavors range from summer-ready Fresh Lime Margarita to the oh-so-sophisticated Old Fashioned. Vodka fans, there's even one for you.

Warm Spices

Some drinkers want only light, breezy cocktails in the warmer months, but for those of us who still enjoy a darker dram, there were some delicious offerings. Bitters connoisseurs from The Bitter Truth featured their Pimento Dram, a liqueur reminiscent of the spice medley in mulled wine. Don't let the name scare you off, either! Pimento is just another word for allspice.

Another liqueur to check out is the herb-inspired Sorel. This sip gets it warmth from a mix of sweet and spicy ingredients like hibiscus, ginger, and clove. It's almost perfection served simply as a splash on top of Prosecco, although they were also offering it mixed into a sorbet. Naturally, we tried both, and suggest you add a generous splash to your desserts, too.

Smoke

And I'm not talking about Scotch here. Cocktail Punk was out in full force with their line of bitters. The universal bartender favorite, according to the owner? Smoked orange. Corsair doled out their Small Batch Triple Smoke Whiskey, a deeply complex dram with three different types of smoke. If you were wondering if you could get your smoke with American whiskey, this company is giving you a resounding yes.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Aged Spirits

Old Spirits Company is serving up some seriously mature cocktails. Even when it comes to barrel-aged spirits, this company proves that good things take time. They start with spirits that have at least 30 years of bottle age to make cocktails that are old enough to order their own cocktails.

Get an inside look at the event:

Prairie Organic Spirits made us a refreshing cocktail from their crisp cucumber vodka.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Old Fashioned jelly shots with a maple foam.

Deep, dark coffee and whiskey cocktail from House of Angostura topped with whipped cream and a stencil.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Peru pisco cocktails — chichapolitan on the left and a cinnamon-cardamom pisco cocktail on the right.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Delish participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.